TikTok begins restoring US service after Trump vows to delay ban

TikTok said it was restoring access to the video app after President-elect Donald Trump promised companies that distribute and host the platform would not be held liable for violating a US ban that took effect Sunday.

“In agreement with our service providers, TikTok is in the process of restoring service,” the company said Sunday afternoon.

TikTok, which is owned by Chinese company ByteDance, said it would work with Trump on “a long-term solution that will keep TikTok in the US.”

As of early Sunday afternoon, the web version of TikTok appeared to be working in the U.S., but the app was not working and the app was not appearing in the Apple and Google app stores. It remained unclear whether Apple and Google were assured of the president-elect’s assurances ?they need more time to restore service?Apple and Google did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Trump said he would issue an order on Monday ensuring that the companies that enabled TikTok to remain on the service would not be held liable for violating the ban passed by Congress.

TikTok: he had suspended the service this weekend before a Sunday deadline imposed by law that required ByteDance to sell the video app to avoid a ban on app stores that allow downloads.

Starting at midnight on Saturday, companies such as Apple, Google and Oracle that provide cloud services to TikTok have been banned from providing services to distribute or host the app and face fines of $5,000 per user. : Oracle did not respond to a request for comment.

“I’m asking companies not to let TikTok stay dark.” Trump said on Sunday on its Truth Social platform.

“On Monday, I will issue an executive order to extend the deadline until the law’s bans go into effect so we can make a deal to protect our national security,” the president-elect said.

Florida lawmaker Mike Waltz, who will become national security adviser at Trump’s inauguration on Monday, told CNN the president-elect would consider allowing continued ownership by the Chinese, but with “firewalls” to ensure the app’s data is “protected here in the U.S. in the land of “.

Trump said in his “Truth Social” post that he would like the U.S. to have “50 percent ownership in the joint venture.”

“By doing this, we save TikTok, keep it in good hands and let us say [sic] up,” said Trump. “Without U.S. approval, there is no TikTok. We believe it is worth hundreds of billions of dollars, maybe trillions.”

“My initial thought is a joint venture between the current owners and/or the new owners, with the U.S. getting 50 percent ownership in the joint venture between the U.S. and any acquisitions we choose.”

Lawmakers and U.S. security officials believe the Chinese government may be using TikTok to obtain the personal information of Americans, which could facilitate espionage.TikTok denies that China has any control over the app.

The Supreme Court upheld the ban on Friday, and on Saturday Trump said he would “probably” extend the sales deadline for TikTok, which has been downloaded by 170 million Americans, by 90 days.

But some Republican lawmakers, including Tom Cotton, who chairs the Senate Intelligence Committee, and Sen. Pete Ricketts of Nebraska said in a statement that there is “no legal basis for any kind of ‘extension.’

“Any company that hosts, distributes, maintains, or otherwise contributes to the communist-controlled TikTok could face hundreds of billions of dollars in punitive damages under the law, not just the DOJ. [Department of Justice]but also under securities law, shareholder lawsuits and state AGs,” Cotton said in a post on X. “Think about it.”

One person involved in drafting the law said there was no provision for an extension after the Jan. 19 deadline.

It allowed a 90-day extension if certain conditions were met, including evidence of “significant progress” toward divestment and “binding agreements” to make it possible, but only if before the deadline.

During his first term, Trump issued an order to stop TikTok from operating in the US, but it was blocked by the courts. He also tried to engineer a deal that would ensure China would not be able to access the data. Chinese law requires Chinese companies to hand over data when ordered to do so by the government.

Last year, Trump spoke out against Congress’s Remove or Ban Act, saying it would help Facebook, which has banned him from its platform for two years.Facebook competes with TikTok through its Instagram app.

On Friday, Trump had his first phone conversation with President Xi Jinping since leaving the White House in 2021. He said they discussed TikTok, although the Chinese reading of the call did not mention the app.

Vice President Han Zheng will also attend Monday’s inauguration instead of Xi, who was invited by Trump.

Asked why Trump has launched a “charm attack” with China, Waltz told CBS that a relationship with the Chinese leader is needed to address issues ranging from the flow of Chinese precursor chemicals used to make fentanyl to tensions in the South China Sea.

“[Trump] believes that he can enter into those transactions only by having a relationship with that type of regime,” he added

Additional reporting by George Hammond